


Finding Safe Harbor

by BlackParadise



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abuse, Adoption, Depression, Extremely Underage, M/M, Medical Procedures, Non-Consensual Violence, Non-consensual underage, Past Rape/Non-con, Severitus, more to come later - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-04
Updated: 2015-03-27
Packaged: 2018-03-10 13:21:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3291818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackParadise/pseuds/BlackParadise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severus a doctor working in a muggle hospital, avoiding living in the magical world until a certain patient comes along and changes everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Paged

Business was running as usual at the Royal Surrey County Hospital for the mid morning on a Monday. Nothing immensely spectacular was happening… yet.

 

Dr Severus Prince was doing his rounds, going around his patients in the children’s ward with a smile, checking that they and their parents were comfortable. His mind wandered to his own childhood, being tutored by his grandfather in magic whilst still attending a muggle private school. Watching as his friends all headed off to Hogwarts and envying them, but also glad he didn't have to face the stigma of houses. A fond smile slid across his face as he thought of Lily, his best friend. She’d gone off to Hogwarts and come home with three other boys in tow, boys who would soon become like brothers to him, and help him complete some (rather illegal) impressive acts.  
Severus looked down at his pager as it emitted a loud beep, before heading for the elevator, moving swiftly to the ER. There was only one reason he would be getting an urgent page to the Emergency Room, and that was a severely injured child. Severus was only paged for the most severe cases, as Head of Pediatrics, any easier cases to deal with were left for the younger Pediatricians.

He headed straight for the bed his colleagues were gathered around, “What have we got?” He asked, eyes widening as he took in the battered boy unconscious in the bed. He was small, looking to be around seven or eight years old, a mop of black hair that flew in every direction and bruises covering every inch of his body. Or at least, every inch of his body that wasn't covered in cuts or welts or burns.

“John Doe, looks to be around 8 years old” Dr Williams answered, leaning over the boy, “Unconscious since retrieval by paramedics. Confirmed collapsed, potentially punctured lung, multiple skull fractures, at least twelve other confirmed fractures, suspected bruised or perforated kidney”

Severus nodded grimly, getting gloves on, “Parents?” He asked, seeing no hysterical mother anywhere near by, as was usually the case with children hurt this badly.

“We don’t know” Dr Williams said bluntly, “Abuse case Dr Prince” his voice dropped a little, “They kept him in a cupboard”

Severus swore inwardly, before nodding, “Let’s get him to CT, then we’ll start treating his injuries, no time to waste. Let’s move people!” He added when no one started moving.  
He grabbed a handle of the bed and started heading for the elevator to take them to radiology.  
Something about the boy was tugging at the back of his mind but he was sure he’d never met the boy before.

He turned to one of his interns, “I want you to call every primary school within an hour’s drive from here. Someone must know who he is, especially since he hasn't turned up to school today”  
The intern nodded swiftly and ran off.

They got rushed through the scans, before immediately running up to the O.R.

They spent four hours working to stabilize the boy. Every time it looked the end was in sight, another bleeder would appear or another injury would be spotted or his heart would stop.

By the time the surgery had finished, the boy had lost his spleen, ½ a kidney and a fair portion of his liver and spent a total of 30 minutes dead on the table.  
Severus cleaned himself up and headed for the staff locker rooms, planning on getting a hot cup of coffee before heading home, his shift having ended halfway through the surgery.  
He managed a weak smile for a few of his colleagues, exhaustion flooding through his bones as he slumped into an armchair with his coffee, holding the mug as though it was pure gold.

He let out a soft groan and looked up when his intern returned, having hoped it would take her at least until tomorrow to track down some potential names of missing children.

“There are three boys fitting the description who didn't turn up to school today.” She said, handing him the stack of files, “One of them doesn't fit the age range but his teacher insisted that he was small for his age and looks to be around eight years old”

Severus nodded and flicked through the first file, seeing nothing that could indicate abuse in his records, putting it aside and repeating the process with the second, finding nothing.  
He picked up the third file and flipped it open, body going tense as he saw the photo of the young boy. A very familiar face, with very familiar eyes. He let out a soft gasp as he flicked through the file, growling when he saw who the boy had been living with.  
“Harry James Potter” was the name glaring up at him, a name he hadn't heard spoken since that fateful day nine years ago, listening to someone mention Harry at the funeral.  
He shoved that thought away quickly, because if he stayed on it too long, he would start crying, and he really didn't need to start crying.

However, as he continued flicking through the file, memories of Lily kept flooding through him, memories of his best friend. Memories of James, the man who he had long considered his brother.

“Go to the boys room and tell me his eye color” Severus said quietly, not wanting to allow himself to think it was Harry until he was sure, “Then come back and tell me straight away”

He’d first met Harry when the boy was just days old, and already, Harry had carried his mothers vibrant emerald eyes.

The intern returned minutes later, breathless from sprinting the length of the hospital, “Green sir, like, really green”

Severus’ breath caught in his throat and he stood slowly, “It’s the ten year old” He said softly, heading to his best friends sons room in a daze, shock covering every inch of his face.  
His thoughts caught up with him and he quickly ducked into a bathroom, making sure no one was around before quietly calling, “Wolfer” in a clear voice, his personal elf appearing moments later.  
“I need you to start preparing the Manor for my arrival. The wards need strengthening and the floo reactivating.” Severus sighed, “I’ll need all of my wizarding clothes brought out of storage”. He paused for a moment, before answering the question his elf clearly wanted to ask, “Yes Wolfer, it’s time Lord Prince made his return to the wizarding world”


	2. Explained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry awakens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Chapter 2 is up :-) I think I'm going to try and update every Thursday 9pm in my time zone (GMT +12) which is Thursday 8am in England :-D Hope you enjoy :-)

Severus collected himself and exited the bathroom, finding his intern standing right there.

“Sir?” She asked nervously, “The boy, he’s already awake” 

Severus nodded, striding towards the hospital room, having predicted this happening. Harry’s magic would have worked off the muggle drugs in his system. 

He walked into chaos.

Harry was panicking, green eyes wide and Severus could tell his magic was seconds away from exploding out. Several nurses were gathered around, trying in vain to calm the distressed ten year old down, as Harry fought to free himself from the tubes covering his body.

Severus was across the room in two strides, gently pinning the struggling boys hands to the bed, “It’s okay Harry,” He soothed softly, “You’re safe here, we’re only trying to help”

He continued murmuring softly to Harry until slowly, Harry began to relax and still under his hands

Severus turned to one of the nurses, regretting what he had to do but knowing he couldn’t risk Harry panicking and worsening his condition. And Harry didn’t need that. Severus wasn’t sure his body would cope. Severus softly asked the nurse to bring a mild sedative.

She nodded and drew some into a syringe, before carefully pressing it into Harry’s IV port.

Harry looked up at Severus, eyes showing the betrayal he felt at being sedated again.

“I can’t let you reinjure yourself” Severus murmured, keeping his voice soft as he let go after the medicine had taken effect.

Harry took a few minutes but finally nodded silently, not saying a single word.

Severus allowed himself a small smiles as he looked over the small body laying in the bed, a slight glaze appearing over those eyes, Lily’s eyes. “You have your mothers eyes” He said quietly, the words slipping out before he could control them, not regretting it as he saw Harry’s face light up in shock.

He reached out a hand to stop Harry before he could pull the oxygen mask off to speak, answering the question he knew was coming, “Yes, I knew her” he said quickly, sitting himself down on the edge of the bed, ignoring everyone but the child of his best friend.

“We grew up together” He explained softly, “She was an amazing person, beautiful, talented, kind-hearted and passionate” He chuckled softly, “I was lucky enough to have her as my best friend”

Harry’s face lit up at hearing about his mother, having only ever been told she died in a car crash caused by his alcoholic father driving drunk.

“I knew your father as well” Severus smiled, not noticing the dark expression spreading over Harry’s face. Harry had grown up with his aunt and uncle telling him that his mothers death was his fathers fault, that if his father wasn’t a useless drunk, he would still have parents.

“He loved your mother more than anything” Severus chuckled, caught in wistful memories, only to snap out as he saw Harry’s expression, too slow to stop Harry’s hand whipping up to yank off the oxygen mask.

“If he loved her so much, why did he kill her?” Harry snapped, a slight glare creeping into his gaze.

Shock spread over Severus’ face before he said softly, “What were you told about your parents deaths?” He asked softly, trying his hardest to disguise the shaking in his voice. He still didn’t realize that Harry hadn’t been raised in a magical household, that he didn’t know magic existed.

“That my father was drunk and drove into a tree, killing them both and giving me this” He said, gesturing his forehead as he spoke in a quick, flat voice.

Severus’ face paled and he took a few moments to collect himself before saying quietly, “You’ve been lied to Harry”

Harry stared at him stonily, “What actually happened?” He whispered, vice shaking and dropping to near silent at the end of his question, nervousness clear on his face.

Severus glanced around the room at the faces of his colleagues, hoping that word of this wouldn’t spread. Harry didn’t need hordes of sympathetic mothers of sick children accosting him.

“Your parents were murdered Harry” He said quietly, “Your father died trying to give your mother enough time to get somewhere safe with you” His voice shook as he remembered climbing those stairs, having stepped over a dead man who he considered his brother, in the hopes of finding life upstairs. 

Harry looked at him, tears starting to form as the realization he’d been hating his dad for years without cause, “C-can you tell me about him?” He asked, voice croaking.

“I will, but not now” Severus murmured, “Right now, you need to sleep”. He stroked a hand through Harry’s hair with a small smile, “I tell you about them both tomorrow.”

Harry nodded slowly, managing a tiny smile for the man still sitting on his bed.

Severus took a small breath, “I’m sorry Harry, but I have to ask” He waited until Harry nodded, “Who did this to you? We can help them get caught and punished”

Harry was silent for a few minutes and Severus had nearly given up on getting an answer when Harry whispered, “My uncle and aunt” in a nearly inaudible voice.

Severus smiled and stroked his hair again, “Thank you for telling me Harry” He murmured, returning the oxygen mask to his face with a gentle touch before grabbing a sedative that would allow Harry to sleep through the night without dreams and to help his body heal faster. He injected it in and watched as Harry’s eyes drooped quickly.

“I’ll be here when you wake up” He promised as he pulled the blankets up over Harry.

Severus left the room, finally letting the anger he felt show on his face. Harry had been sent to the muggles. He was meant to go to Sirius! Severus felt anger rush into him at Sirius not taking Harry, before memories rushed through him. 

Sirius glowing with pride when he was announced as godfather. Sirius holding Harry for the first time, only love covering his face. Sirius taking a vow at Harry’s naming ceremony to protect Harry to the best of his ability.

There was no way Sirius Black would have let Harry go to those muggles. Severus’s mind supplied him with the only possible answer. Something bad had happened to Sirius Black. And he was going to find out what.


	3. Investigated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit shorter then I was hoping but I think I ended it on a good note :)

Severus apparated straight into the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, striding towards the elevators at a brisk pace.

He had taken the time to get himself into what he call 'Full Lord Status', which consisted of black formal robes with a black velvet trim, billowing behind him with each step. The look was completed by a crisp white shirt with Prince cuff-links, a dark navy waist coat and black slacks. 

The elevator ride was pure torture, Severus needed answers and he needed answers now. 

Another thought popped into his head as he stood in the elevator. Remus. 

His face grew slightly worried through his emotionless mask, Remus would have fought for Harry, but the stupid laws held by the Wizenagamot would have prevented him from adopting or raising Harry. But surely Remus would have kept an eye on Harry. Surely.

Severus strode into the Magical Records department and tapped impatiently on the desk, making sure his Lordship ring was in full view. 

"Sorry sir!" The lady exclaimed, "How may I help you?"

"I require all records you have pertaining to Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Harry Potter" Severus said swiftly, "And I need them yesterday"

The lady leapt up and nodded, running for the files. Severus allowed himself a soft thankful expression when he realized they had no restrictions on Harry's file. He had expected to have to jump through hoops to access that file, because of what Harry had done. But instead, the lady was already back and handing copies of all three files to him.

Severus slid Harry's file into his robes to read later, before flipping open Sirius', going to the latest entries. And there it was. In clear, emotionless black and white. The fate of Sirius Black.

'Detained in Azkaban for life for his involvement in the murders of Lily and James Potter, the attempted murder of Harry Potter, the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles'  
and then on the line below 'Suspect unmarked Death Eater'

All the blood rushed out of his face, making him go deathly pale, before his expression hardened. Sirius Black was no cold-blooded killer. He had killed before, yes, in the line of duty of his work as an Auror. But he would never have set out to actually kill someone. But most of all, Sirius would never have tried to betray or kill James and Lily. Besides the fact that they were his best friends, Sirius took a vow to protect them with his life. A vow that would have killed him should he have betrayed them.

Which meant Sirius was completely innocent of the crimes that, Severus checked the date, had imprisoned him in Azkaban for the past nine years.

Severus let out a soft noise of disgust and slid the folder into his robes, opening Remus'. It told him all he needed to know about why Remus had never checked up on Harry. He'd been too focused on getting his mate back, as was shown why the fortnightly appeals for a trial, which, as Severus checked Sirius' file again, Sirius had never been given in the first place.

"They threw him in there without a trial" Severus whispered to himself, a slight growl in his voice, casting a quick Tempus. He had five hours left until Harry woke up. 

He left the office in a rush, before enduring another torturous elevator ride, ending up standing in front of the desk of Amelia Bones, Head of Magical Law Enforcement. The date told him that Remus would be in later in the day to try once again, and, as per protocol, he would be told of any developments in the case of Sirius Black. Including this.

"I wish visit Azkaban" Severus said softly when the woman looked up, seeing recognition in her eyes as she took him in. "Severus?" She asked softly, having met him several times whilst visiting Lily, having helped with some of the wards around Godrics Hollow, before forming a friendship with the then pregnant witch.

Severus nodded, "I'm running short on time, a catch up will have to come later Amelia, I need to go to Azkaban" 

Amelia's face hardened before she nodded grimly, mouth forming into a straight line, "I'll come with you, I've been meaning to give that Sirius Black a piece of my mind"

Severus kept a hold of his tongue, knowing if he contradicted her, he risked not being allowed entry to the island prison.

Soon he and Amelia, along with an escort of four Aurors, were portkeying to the remote island, landing just inside the doors.

Amelia led them to a visiting room, one of the few Azkaban had, since they were seldom used, and waited for the guards to bring prisoner number 3904, also known as Sirius Black, to them.

Severus was unable to hide his shock as the emaciated, filthy man was dragged into the room by the guards, before being roughly shoved into a chair and secured down. Sirius looked like he'd been through hell and back, like he'd been having his soul slowly ripped out over a series of years. Which, from what Severus had heard about Azkaban, probably wasn't far from the truth.

Sirius sat with his head hung, before saying in a rough voice, "I know you're probably here to interrogate me again, but please... will someone tell me if my godson is okay? Is Harry okay? And what about Remus?"

Severus was unable to stop Amelia from jumping in. "You filthy man! How dare you ask after him! You helped plan his death! and the death of his parents! You have no right to ask about him, no right to call him your godson!" Severus stepped in before Amelia could go any further, watching Sirius deflate with each word. He had a feeling that every time Sirius was brought out, he asked that question. And the same feeling told him, he'd never received an answer.

Severus leaned forward slightly, saying softly, "Remus is fine Sirius, he's still fighting for your release"

Severus watched as Sirius' head flew up, his jaw dropping in shock, "Sev?" He asked roughly, "Is that really you?" At Severus' nod, a small smile slid across his face, "Does Remy have Harry? Is Harry okay?"

Severus felt a grim look overcome his own face, which was soon echoed on the man sitting opposite him. He took a moment before saying quietly, "Harry was sent to Petunia"

He could only watch as rage overcame any other expression on Sirius' face, the man spluttering and cursing before turning to Severus with a pleading expression, "How did you find out? I know you don't read any wizarding news"

Severus sighed softly, "You remember that I work in a muggle hospital?" He asked, before continuing when the man nodded, "Harry was brought in last night, with severe injuries. I can't tell you exactly what, only that they were horrific and he spent over twenty minutes dead. Only his magic kept him alive"

He heard Amelia let out a soft gasp, and held out a hand to stop her resuming her yelling, "Sirius is innocent Amelia. I can submit pensieve memories to the instigation of Peter Pettigrew as Secret Keeper for the Potter. And I suspect that is why Sirius went after him."

Sirius nodded, "I didn't kill him though. I didn't caste a single charm, you have to believe me. Severus, he changed forms"

Severus growled softly, "That rat!" he snapped, before turning to Amelia and quickly detailing the boys escapades during their Hogwarts years, stuff he'd only heard stories about, including their Animagus achievements. 

"I'm sorry Severus, but I can't believe such a story..." Amelia started to say, only to be interrupted... by Sirius turning into a dog.

Amelia gasped again before nodding slowly, "I'll do my best to organise a trial"

Severus thanked her softly, before checking the time with a quick tempus.

"I have half an hour before we need to portkey back Sirius, ask me anything you want" He said quietly.

He spent the next half an hour describing Harry to Sirius, what the short time he'd spoken with him had been like, what he looked like, everything he could possibly tell him. But all too soon his time with his honorary brother was up and he was transported back to the Ministry of Magic.

Severus spent a few moments giving the memory to Amelia and getting a set of magical adoption papers, before rushing off, nearly sprinting through the Ministry as he raced to the apparation point to get back to the hospital before Harry awoke. It was a close shave, with Severus having to remove and shrink his robes in a bathroom in the pediatrics ward, shoving them into his pocket as he donned his doctors jacket.

He checked on Harry's overnight stats, glad to find that he hadn't woken or seemed distressed at all. It was a blessing. From the look of his chart, Harry would be able to go home soon, provided the person he went home with had medical knowledge, which, Severus hoped, would be very easy to achieve.

He sat down next to the bed, and waited for those green eyes to open


	4. Remembered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so stupidly late!

As Severus sat there, watching, waiting for Harry to wake, his mind drifted back through memories.

**17 Years Earlier**

_Severus’ face paled as he heard footsteps behind him, quickly trying to hide his wand in his sleeve as his grandfather had taught him. He cursed at himself, what was he thinking! Doing magic in a public park. He could almost hear the lecture from his grandfather already._

_He turned slowly to find a muggle girl standing there. She looked around his age, slightly shorter than him. It was her eyes that caught his attention, a sparkling jade green that seemed to hold all the secrets of the universe. They were magical, entrancing and he struggled to look away, aware he was staring._

_“Hello” She said quietly, flicking a wisp of long copper hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear as she stepped slightly closer, “My name is Lily.”_

_Lily. Severus repeated that name over in his mind. It fit her perfectly, he decided, despite barely knowing this girl, only having met her once and never said a word to her. It just fit._

_“Severus” He said awkwardly, wondering what he was doing. She’d seen him doing magic! He should be running for the hills._

_“I’ve never seen you before” She said, before a blush spread across her cheeks, “Sorry. That was weird. I just… I thought, when I saw you… that I’d recognize you from school…” She trailed off, voice nearly reaching a mumble._

_Severus’ jaw dropped in shock, his mind catching up quickly to what she meant, “Y-you go to Hogwarts?” He asked quietly, watching her face light up with each of his words._

_Lily nodded with a wide grin, “Yes! I’m a Ravenclaw” She said softly, “So you do go to Hogwarts?” She asked excitedly, happy to have a wizard in her neighborhood, not liking keeping her magic a secret, she wanted to be able to talk to someone who knew what she was talking about._

_“No” Severus said quietly, “I attend St Barts” he watched her face grow confused, “I’m home-schooled in magic” He explained, “My grandfather feels I need a mixture of both educations, and he doesn’t trust most people. He’s paranoid that someone is going to hurt his heir”_

_Lily frowned a little before nodding, “I understand” She smiled, “I wish I was still getting a muggle education” She groaned, “I mean, what if I want to get a job in the muggle world when I’m older?”_

_Severus smiled at her, “That’s exactly what my grandfather thinks. I don’t mind though, I kinda want to be a doctor when I grow up”_

_Lily nodded to him, “There are so many more jobs in the muggle world then in the wizarding world” She grinned a little, “We should set up an exchange. I send you my work and stuff from Hogwarts, you send me the muggle stuff!”_

_Severus smiled and nodded quickly, “That would be cool. I’ve always wanted to go to Hogwarts and see what it’s like, my grandfather has such amazing stories about it.”_

 

Severus jolted out of his memories as the boy in the bed in front of him let out a soft groan, eyes fluttering open slowly as he started to shift around in the bed.

Severus stood and crossed to the bed swiftly, seeing Harry’s face creasing in pain, noting that his last set of painkillers would have worn off whilst he slept. 

He injected a milder strain of painkiller that wouldn’t send Harry back to sleep and waited for him to fully wake up.

It took about twenty minutes for Harry to fight his way out of his dreams, opening his eyes properly and starting to sit a little, looking around the room, eyes growing nervous as they settled on the man sitting next to the bed, “Y-you’re still here?” The croaky voice asked softly.

“I told you I’d be here when you woke up” Severus smiled softly, “And I don’t tell lies”

Harry managed a small smile in response, looking down at his hands nervously, before asking softly, “Will you tell me about my dad now? And more about my mum?”

Severus nodded, just as Harry’s breakfast arrived and was placed on a tray in front of him.

Harry sighed, form slumping slightly as disappointment covered his face, thinking that breakfast would mean he didn’t get to hear for longer. 

Severus chuckled softly at his expression, “You eat, I’ll talk about your parents okay?”

The smile that lit up Harry’s face was dazzling, and Severus couldn’t help but marvel and the fact that, whilst Harry had been through what could only be considered torture, he could still produce such a smile, a smile that lit up the entire room as though he’d turned on all the lights and introduced joy to the drab hospital room.

“I met your mother when we were thirteen. She lived just down the road from me, although we went to different schools. She went to a boarding school in Scotland while I attended the local private school. It meant that for nine months of the year I never saw her, but we sent each other letters, sometimes up to three times a week. Within six months, I considered her my best friend…” Severus spoke for over an hour, telling Harry stories of the adventures he’d heard about from Lily, and all the times they’d spent together, “And then, when we were seventeen, Lily had some friends visiting from school. Remus Lupin, Sirius Black… and James Potter” Severus almost laughed at the excited expression on Harry’s face.

“At first, I didn’t like James. He was too loud, too vain and played too many pranks. But as I got to know him, and the others better, I began to think of them as the brothers I never had. Remus was always the one to go to if I needed help, or someone to talk through something logically with me. Sirius was the one to go to if I was having problems with my family, or with school. He had a huge knack for cheering someone up. And James… James was the one to go to if you needed revenge on someone. Even though, in our group of friend, Remus was the one who was the most logical and, I guess, fatherly, James was the most protective. If someone hurt one of us, they’d reap the fury of James.”

Severus looked up about twenty minutes later, having just finished a story about getting drunk and breaking into a church to ring the bells, to realize that he was due at the weekly staff meeting. 

He stood, regret covering his face, “I’m sorry Harry, but I have a meeting to go to okay? I’ll be back in a few hours”

Harry nodded, disappointment covering his face as he tried to stifle a yawn.

“Why don’t you have a sleep?” Severus suggested, “I’ll be back before you know it”

Harry nodded, but didn’t fall asleep until long after he’d seen the tall form slip from the room, hoping with every part of him that the only connection he had found to his parents would return. Because he really wanted to know about the kind doctor, and about his parents. And Harry had never gotten what he wanted.


End file.
